After suffering a tough defeat in the first T20I by 61 runs, South Africa will have to pull their socks up, to give themselves the best chance to make a comeback in the four-match series against India. The Proteas will be travelling to Gqeberha to take on the Men in Blue in the second T20I at the St George’s Park, where they have a decent record, but still, it will take more than a concerted effort to take down the visitors.
In the first T20I, South African bowlers conceded more than 200 runs as Sanju Samson went on to bring up his second consecutive hundred in the shortest format of the game. In pursuit of the big target, the Protea batters fell to the exceptional performance from Indian spinners, who picked up six wickets, to skittle them out within 18 overs.
In this article, SportsTiger looks at South Africa’s probable playing XI versus India for the second T20I at the St George’s Park in Gqeberha.
Openers: Aiden Markram (c), Ryan Rickelton
Aiden Markram has been struggling for runs in the top of the order in the T20I format for quite some time, and he was dismissed in the first over of South African innings in the first match of the series. Ryan Rickelton got off to a flyer during the pursuit of the 203-run target, but he was dismissed in the final over of the power play stage.
Middle Order: Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller
Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen, and David Miller have been the in-form batters for South Africa in the T20I format this year, playing a key role in taking the team to the final of the T20 World Cup. Although they didn’t have the best of starts to the T20I series against India in the first game at the Kingsmead in Durban, which meant that the Proteas folded before playing out their allotted 20 overs.
All-Rounders: Patrick Kruger, Marco Jansen
Patrick Kruger, the all-rounder for South Africa, didn’t have the best of days with the bat and ball in the first T20I, but he has the talent and the skill to perform well at the highest level in the long run. Marco Jansen delivered a economical spell amidst the carnage from the Indian batters in the first T20I, and he backed it up with a few lusty blows with the bat, but it wasn’t enough for the Proteas.
Bowlers: Keshav Maharaj, Gerald Coetzee, Nqabayomzi Peter, Ottneil Baartman
Keshav Maharaj and Nqabayomzi Peter, the two spinners from South Africa, were put under quite a lot of pressure by the Indian top order, but they bounced back strongly in the later half of their respective spells. Gerald Coetzee picked up a three-wicket haul in the first T20I, but the lack of support from other pacers in the team could mean a return of Ottneil Baartman in the starting XI for the second T20I against India at the St George’s Park in Gqeberha.